Unified Medical Language System® (UMLS®)

RxNorm Current Prescribable Content Release Notes

October Release - 10/01/2012

This RxNorm Current Prescribable Content release is consistent with the 2012AA UMLS Metathesaurus release. For additional information about RxNorm releases, including scripts for loading the RxNorm data into Oracle and MySQL databases, read the RxNorm Technical Documentation.

Data Changes

FDA structured product label drugs and ingredients in the Current Prescribable Content subset: Previous releases of the Current Prescribable Content subset contained only SAB=RXNORM information. But beginning with the October release, the Current Prescribable Content subset will also include drugs and ingredients from the Food and Drug Administration structured product labels (SAB=MTHSPL). In addition to SAB=MTHSPL drug and ingredients, relationships between drugs and ingredients, NDCs, and other SAB=MTHSPL data will be added to the subset. The subset will remain in the public domain, and no license will be required to download it.

Inert ingredients in the full monthly release and the Current Prescribable Content subset: The RxNorm team is in the process of editing SAB=MTHSPL inert ingredients. The first batch of inert ingredients will be included, along with their SAB=RXNORM names and RXCUIs, in the October full monthly release of RxNorm and the October Current Prescribable Content subset. An important application of including inert ingredients with active ingredients in RxNorm is the creation and maintenance of allergy lists in electronic health records. The remaining inert ingredients will be edited and added to RxNorm releases over the coming months.

RXN_PRESCRIBABLE attribute replaced by CVF field value: The RXN_PRESCRIBABLE attribute, which served as a flag for the drugs and ingredients included in the Current Prescribable Content subset, will no longer be used. In its place, the content view flag (CVF) value of "4096" will be used. CVF is the last field in the RXNCONSO, RXNSAT, RXNREL, and RXNSTY files. Whereas the RXN_PRESCRIBABLE attribute was associated with an RXCUI, which made it problematic to identify all of the related attributes and relationships, the CVF value is included in each individual row in each data file. Using this flag, you can easily identify all of the Current Prescribable Content subset information within the full RxNorm releases.

IN and PIN synonyms: Starting with the October release, RxNorm editors will have the option to create synonyms (TTY=SY) for ingredient and precise ingredient concepts. Synonyms provide alternative names for concepts. For example, "Cantharis preparation" is a synonym for "Lytta vesicatoria preparation."